The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-19
A PRISONERS NARRATIVE.
/, j. Davis, of Montgomery County,
Tells Why He is in the County Jail.
From the Macon (Ga) Telegraph.


Tells Why He is in the County Jail.
From the Macon (Gd.) Telegraph.
''There's one of the best prisoners | ever
had in JAIL" said Jailer Birdsong yesterday,
pointing to the cell in which Darby was con-
fined so long. "He acts like a gentleman,
and has never given me the slightest trou-
BILE" he continued
The occupant of the cell was |. j. Davis,
of Montgomery county, charged with muir
der. He has been confined here several
months for safe keeping. In the cell with
him is his brother Pollard, who comes visit
him, and who allows himself to be kept
under lock and key and under the prison
discipline for the pleasure of the privilege
to be with his brother.
Davis is tall, dresses with taste and neat
ness, and there is nothing about his features
to indicate in the renlotest that he is a crimi-
nal, except the fact that he is behind the
grated bars He talks WELL and shows that
he has had a fair education. He is a farmer,
he says, but at one time was in business at
Darien, but his health failing him, he re-
| turned to farming in his own county.
The crime with which he is connected
| created quite a sensation at the time of its
occurrence IT was supposed that Mont
golnery county was full of Businesses to
which criminals fed and kept themselves
hidden, and Gum Swamp and Gum Pond
were famous as the resort of desperate men,
who defied law This was wrong idea,
but it existed, nevertheless. Yesterday
Davis intimated that he would tell the
whole story of his crime, and here it is:
ION Oct. 6, 1885, started to the polls at
Lothian, in Montgomery county, to vote.
In my party were my brothers, Pollard and
f. L., and John Spalding, Arthur Davis
and J. Y. Hill, the bailiff. While we were
approaching the polls, we saw the NIillers
getting out of their wagon at the court
house. There were Joseph Miller Sr.,
Joseph Miller, Jr., David Miller, Han
and Thomas A. Miller, Jr AS we
went walking down to the polls we
saw the party standing in front of the
court house. About the time we watched
them, Dave Miller pushed Joe Miller, Sr.,
man 80 years old, on J. Y. Hit AS he
was pushed, Joe said, ''Now, Hill, you've
date you" Hill stepped back, and told Joe
that he re- pacted his old age and not to
come toward him. Joe cursed, and said
| something about fgh ing a man. Hill did
not want to fight, but Dave Miller drew n
knife Then Hill stepped back and began to
draw his, and tod them to stand back. 1
stepped up, and caught Hill with my right
hand. Joe Miller, Jr., came walking Up
| from behind Dave, and | saw him drawing
| his revolver. | caught him with my left
hand and said Joe (he was my hrother-ir-
| law, stop. Dave and I'll stop Hill ice
| said: No let EN- work it. During this time
| Thomas Miller, Jr., and Thomas Miller, Sr.,
came up, and Thomas Miller, Jr., reached
| over and caught me in the collar and sal / :
| I've got YOU now where long have wanted
| YOU at the same time drawing a large Tren-
! ton knife ] got away from him and COM
menced to back up the road going as far as
| forty-five feet, telling him re-
| peatedly that / didn't want to hurt
| him, but not to come at me with that knife.
| BY this time had backed to the edge of a
! ditch in the road, and couldn't back any
| further without falling into it, Tom kept
advancing, and put my hand on my
| pistol. He continued to advance, and
| drew my pistol and fired two shots over his
head, not wanting to hurt him. He lodged
| his head, and thinking ! did not intend to
miss him commenced cutting at me and
| said. Shoot. you -- you can't hit
me no how | then fell into the ditc. and
fired the third shot, and at the same time
another shot was fired 10y Joe Miller, Jr.,
woo fired at me from behind Thomas
| Miller Thomas Miller then fell
| between us, Joe Miller firing two shots at
me as | was rising from the ditch. One of
| the bullets passed over my left eve, binding
me for awhile, and the other under my arm
| When got SO | could see he was cooking
| his pistol for the fourth shot. | said Joe,
| don't shoot at me any more or III shoot
| YOU He turned TO his brother Dave and
said: Go and get me the gun out of the
wagon, this thing tneaning his pistol went
| work; it's no account Then my brother
Pollard hallooed, Run |. j., here comes
the double-barTecd gum / said t.
Dave, I've nothing to run for My
| brothers then came mp and carried me up
the road. | then submitted to an arrest.
tl,n
with his shotgun, A. c. Odom with PTS .ol,
Joe Miller with a pistol, and John Gillis
with a stick that had a ribbOn tied on it.
They came up and surrounded me, but my
friends protected me from them. Dave re-
| marked, 1 don't fear the law and then
cooked both barrels OF his gun One OF my
friends stepped up between us and stopped
| him. A warrant was then written out for
me, and / was arrested by julius Dunn, a
bailiH | was carried TO the house of John
Miller and chained with a log-chain before
the muzlle of shotguns in the hands of my
bitterest enemies The Coroner held an in
quest and the verdict was manslaughter.
| was tried the next day before w. j. DAILY,
Justice of the Peace, and he admitted
me TO bail in the sum of 81 900 for involnn-
tary manslaughter. i gave bond immedi-
ate,y and went home. When the grand
jury met one of the men who swore against
me was indicted for perjury, and the other
got S2j from Joe Milgcr ard is to get S75
more when he swcarS agGIust me i'll the APP
preaching trial. detectives Shackalf3rd
aud DeLlna came down there as peddlerS
and triei to arrest me, but they couldn'U do
it. | knew Sheriff McGregor; he was an
old schoolmate, and he knew where he could
get me whenever wanted. | spent my time
at my fathers house with dog and gun, and
finally | sent for the Sheriff and gave myself
up TO him, and that is why am now here